The Free State representatives will join civil society groups from three other gang-affected provinces, namely: Gauteng, Western Cape, and the Eastern Cape at the meeting where they will share their experiences and concerns about the presence of police in gang-infested residential areas.

Committee Chairperson, Francois Beukman, says in a statement that the committee remains of the view that “Police Stations in gang-infested areas should have competent and experienced station commanders and the necessary resources to deal with the challenges that they encounter daily.” The Free State province has become ravaged by gang violence in recent years, with the provincial government – MEC of Police, Roads and Transport, Sam Mashinini, in particular– vowing to intensify efforts to fight the gang violence.

Recently, the Free State High Court in Bloemfontein sentenced three gang members to 15 years imprisonment each towards the end of January for killing two alleged ex-members of the Born To Kill (B2K) gang.

OFM News